I love the local church because it is a place where I can be real. A place where I can be healed. A place where I can grow. A place where I can lead. Don't get me wrong, the local church isn't made up of saints, but it is (hopefully) made up of people who have decided to follow Jesus, and in following Jesus, they start to look and act more like him as they grow. I believe that the very best thing the local church can model is that of a spiritual family. And we all know that every family is messy. They have crazy uncles that say and do silly things; they have overbearing aunts that try to boss everybody around, and then there is all kind of dysfunction in between. The great thing about a member of a spiritual family in a church is that you can look honestly at the dysfunction and say "what would Jesus do in this situation?
Jesus loves people even when they are messy, broken and far away. Jesus says to the sinner "lets get a bite to eat together." Jesus isn't afraid of the dysfunction; he knows its part of our fragile condition. He chooses to accept us right where we are, and as a local church we get to partner with him. I agree with Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Church who says, "the local church is the hope of the world." There is no other answer but the one that comes through the ministry of Jesus. Isaiah 61:1 says it beautifully:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners”
We live in a lost and dying world that needs the tangible demonstration of the Father heart of God. The world knows it's broken, dysfunctional and has no answers. It is desperate for a family that will embrace it, love it, and heal its dysfunction.
The other thing I love about the local church, is that just like Jesus, we get to be used for great and glorious purposes. Jesus is not content to only save us from the pit; he also come to release to our destiny. The church done right, equips and disciples and releases people to become world changers. People like Mother Theresa that with selfless love demonstrate God's heart for the afflicted; people like Billy Graham who plunder hell; people like William Wilberfource who help to set a race of people free. This is the power of the local church; to take regular people, people that mean nothing to the world, and use them to change the course of human history.